Shirayuki's unashamedly lofty words, rather than angering her, actually eased Nuyā's tension a little.
As long as the Dog Clan did not seize the Crow Tengu's roots, then everything else could be negotiated.
After a moment of silence, knowing clearly what her only choice was, Nuyā slowly bowed her head.
Her dull, lightless hair slipped forward, falling like a curtain of shadow, veiling her face and concealing every tangled and unreadable expression beneath it.
Only her low, hoarse resolve emerged from the darkness woven by her falling hair.
"As long as the Dog Clan is willing to shelter the Crow Tengu… Nuyā will offer everything!"
Her vow—a desperate leap with no way back thundered through Wind and Thunder Gorge, echoing endlessly with its constant rumbling.
Tōga, who had been secretly observing them, watched the two women who were no longer at each other's throats. He quietly withdrew his gaze and resumed searching through the treasure-filled Raimei-Den.
He found the remains of the two Leopard Cat elders and refined them, taking another solid step toward his next breakthrough.
Low and mid-class Leopard Cats who still clung to life were casually slaughtered by Seiten and the others.
The processed yōki crystals were offered to Tōga like tribute, becoming stepping stones for his rise toward the ranks of high-class yōkai.
Tōga was not stingy, either. He was already considering how to further strengthen the Heavenly Four, and perhaps even promote promising dog-yōkai among the forces.
On the other side, Shirayuki stood before Nuyā. The elegant girl lowered her gaze to the bowed clan leader, delicate brows drawing together lightly before relaxing again.
"Raise your head, Clan Leader Nuyā."
"What the Dog Clan desires has never been kneeling slaves, only fangs sharp enough to tear out a Leopard Cat's throat."
As she spoke, Shirayuki stepped forward. Without warning, she took Nuyā's chin in her hand. Her grip was gentle, yet impossible to break, lifting Nuyā's face in a gesture of forceful grace.
Her dark hair slid off her features, revealing a face still beautiful, yet drained of its former vitality.
"To be frank, I much prefer the snarling cur who was about to attack me earlier."
Shirayuki lowered herself, leaning close. In her golden eyes Nuyā saw her own trembling pupils reflected clearly. The sight instinctively made her recoil.
"Let go of me!"
"Oh?"
Wind and thunder began to thrum around Nuyā's body—but at Shirayuki's enigmatic little laugh, they vanished completely.
Like a subordinate knowing well that one must not dare to bite the hand that holds one's life, Nuyā understood perfectly whose mercy she now depended on.
Under Shirayuki's faint orchid-musk breath, unable to resist, a blush crept across Nuyā's cheeks—whether from anger or shame, she could not tell.
Her taut will snapped. Her strength collapsed. And with a soft "thump", she fainted into Shirayuki's arms.
"My, what a fragile little crow."
Looking down at the unconscious girl, Shirayuki saw the pale lips, bitten so hard they bled red as crushed cinnabar beneath the moonlight, stirring a strange tenderness in the heart.
Meanwhile, the dog-yōkai discovered where the remaining Crow Tengu were hiding.
Once ranked just below the Leopard Cats and the Dog Clan in the Western Lands, the Crow Tengu tribe had now fallen so far that fewer than a few dozen remained.
Tōga seized them all, including their fainted clan leader—and took them away as a single package.
Remaining in Wind and Thunder Gorge would mean nothing but death for the Crow Tengu.
The Dog Clan currently did not have spare troops to station here, even if they did, this location was not worth occupying strategically.
Within a short span, the Leopard Cats had lost the Fifth Elder, then the Sixth, then Byakukonmaru, and finally the Third Elder.
Of the Leopard Cat high council, seven members, four were gone.
Only three elders remained.
With losses so grievous, the Panther King would inevitably rage.
Even the Dog General might compromise to calm the situation.
For instance, publicly surrendering Wind and Thunder Gorge for the Leopard Cats to vent their fury, while secretly preserving Nuyā and the Crow Tengu.
Tōga understood the Dog General's ways clearly, so long as real profit was secured, meaningless dignity could be cast aside at any time.
Of course, that was only the ideal. In reality, the Dog General and the Panther King would surely clash.
To remain outside the Dog Clan territory now meant risking running straight into the Leopard Cats' revenge!
So except for essential items, Tōga refused to stay the night.
Under the bright moonlight, the group hurriedly departed Wind and Thunder Gorge, racing toward Dog Clan lands.
Nuyā still clutched the Thunder Spear tightly even in her unconscious state, the weapon dim and powerless. Tōga gave it an extra glance.
The four Crow Tengu carrying her on a stretcher trembled in terror.
"Tōga, is Clan Leader Nuyā pretty?"
A familiar question rang out again. Without a shift in expression, Tōga calmly glanced back at Shirayuki.
His straightforward stare made her heart skip a beat.
"Shirayuki, are you perhaps not confident in yourself?"
"I am perfectly confident," she shot back instantly.
"In that case, there is no woman in this country more beautiful or more exquisite than my Shirayuki."
The sudden sweetness in his words struck her like an unexpected blow.
For a moment, the girl could not think of how to reply. Her steps sped up on their own.
A soft breeze lifted her hair, revealing the faint blush beneath it, clearly visible to Tōga behind her.
Only after a while did her voice drift back to him.
"I checked Nuyā's condition thoroughly. The only reason she's alive is because of the Storm Wings and Thunder Spear."
"Now that we've left the gorge, where wind and thunder qi were abundant, those relics—overused in the battle can no longer absorb enough spirit energy. Instead, they'll drain her life."
Her voice carried a note of pride. "However, with my treatment, at least her condition will not worsen. The rest is up to her."
Shirayuki's Moonlight yōki excelled at healing. She even acted as a medical specialist within the clan.
With yōkai vitality as tenacious as it was, unless death occurred instantly, recovery was not difficult once breath returned to the body.
And for high-class yōkai, their life force far surpassed human understanding.
"You're impressive as ever, Shirayuki."
"Such pointless praise."
Yet at his compliment, Shirayuki lightly shook her head; her twin ponytails swayed like lively curves in the moonlight.
The Crow Tengu traveling with them realized that although the Dog yōkai did not speak to them, neither did they harm them.
"Amaterasu-ōmikami, please bless our clan… and bless this child."
Three elderly Crow Tengu looked at the barely breathing girl in the stretcher, recalling how harsh they had been with her before, hearts heavy and bitter.
All they could do was pray to the moon hanging above.
Meanwhile, at the Leopard Cat front camp, the Grand Elder gathered the Second and Fourth Elders. The three sat within a war tent.
"We can wait no longer!"